Monthly Crush: Fred

And there’s not a “Wiiiilllllllllmmmmmaaaaaa!” in sight.

Fred, like last month’s crush Oi Va Voi, is another band I didn’t know I needed in my life. I stumbled across their new (to the U.S., at least — it hit shelves in their native Ireland last freaking May) album Go God Go in a new releases newsletter from the excellent digital music store Amie Street. Normally an album with a title like Go God Go would send me running the other way pretty darn quickly (insert venomous rant about crossover religious pop music here), but because it’s also the title of one of the best South Park episodes ever, I decided to give it a shot.

Cartman be praised! Go God Go is shockingly great, and is in the running for my favorite album of the year. It’s impressively hooky, soul-infused indie pop from beginning to end, and I haven’t found a single song that begs the skip button. Every tune brings something interesting & fun to the table, from the swirling disco + cowbell-enhanced rhythms of “Skyscraper” and the unexpected shot of mariachi horns in “Keep Me Clear” to the sharp, soaring brit-rock of of “Fear” — it’s all good. Best of all, the melodies are memorable & the stuff that repeat listens are made of.

It’s hard picking my favorite track to share — there are so many great songs to choose from — so I decided to go with the last track playing while I write this up: “Good One,” which features a delicious sing-songy melody and a bouncy rhythm that’s just begging for a hand-clap-along. Enjoy!

Download: Fred, “Good One” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Check out the neat animated video for “Keep Me Clear” below:

Like what you’ve heard? Grab Go God Go on the cheap as DRM-free, high-quality MP3s from Amie Street.